Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS) was a rebranded continuation of the Nusra Front (NF), al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate. The group was established in July of 2016 when leader Abu Muhammad al-Julani’s broke formal ties with al-Qaeda and its leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, a move which prompted the resignation of high-profile al-Qaeda veterans members. JFS existed for roughly six months before merging with other factions to form Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in January 2017.